Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Atmos Energy Corporation has received an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" from twelve analysts, with a 1-year target price set at approximately $158.27.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a yield of 2.1%.
• Atmos Energy's latest earnings report showed a miss on EPS estimates with reported earnings of $1.16, below the consensus estimate of $1.17.

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $158.2727.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Barclays cut their price objective on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Citigroup raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Argus raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of ATO opened at $165.7170 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $128.12 and a 52-week high of $167.45. The company has a market capitalization of $26.60 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 123.5% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 66,392 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,246,000 after buying an additional 36,682 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 58.2% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 50,471 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,029,000 after buying an additional 18,566 shares during the period. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $740,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.

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